Naver, Line accused of UI plagiarism

Some South Korean app developers have accused internet giant Naver and Japanese subsidiary Line of plagiarism, saying the companies copied their user interface designs.

Carrot Market, an app used for buying and selling secondhand items, said Line introduced a similar app in Vietnam last year and plagiarized Carrot Market’s design and features.

Line’s Get It app is “extremely similar” to Carrot Market in terms of everything from the main display to the identification methods, the local company said.

“Ranging from profile displays to product reviews, (Line’s designs) are exactly the same as ours,” Carrot Market CEO Kim Jae-hyun said on Facebook, where he posted several images of Carrot Market and Get It side by side.  

In his Facebook account, Carrot Market CEO Kim Jae-hyun posted several images of Carrot Market and Get It side by side.

In another Facebook post Kim Soo-kwon, CEO of tourism search app Tripstore, asserted that there were “dubious similarities” between Tripstore and Naver’s travel tips platform.

Line’s Get It hit the market in December last year, while Carrot Market became available in July 2015.

Line officials disputed the plagiarism allegations, saying tourism and commercial apps tend to use similar user interfaces across regions.

“There are many similar apps providing similar features across different regions,” said Line official. “We have continued to develop our user interface and formats in accordance with our consumers’ needs.”